


Shelter from the Storm

by heyjupiter



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Gen, Multi, Science Boyfriends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-02
Updated: 2012-11-02
Packaged: 2017-11-17 14:09:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/552394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heyjupiter/pseuds/heyjupiter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Before Bruce and Tony are even aware there's a hurricane heading for the east coast, Pepper has already volunteered Stark Tower to be used as an emergency shelter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shelter from the Storm

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tarajuku](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tarajuku/gifts).



> A gift for my science ladybro tarajuku, whose power has been knocked out by Sandy. We've been texting back & forth about how if she were friends with Tony Stark, he would fix everything ASAP.
> 
> Title is from the Bob Dylan song "Shelter from the Storm."

The rebuilt Stark Tower was a state-of-the-art building. It was earthquake-proof and allegedly Hulk-proof, though thankfully that hadn't been tested yet. It was powered by an arc reactor. But still, it was over a hundred stories tall, and it was designed to sway in the wind. If it didn't bend, it would break, and it was noticeably bending now, particularly up on the R&D levels.

Bruce looked up from his work. "JARVIS, how windy is it?" he asked.

"The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports wind speeds of 75 miles per hour for this area, sir," JARVIS replied promptly.

"That's hurricane force wind," Bruce said.

"Yes, sir, the region is currently under a hurricane advisory. It has been since Friday."

"Oh," Bruce said. "Damn." He generally suspected that JARVIS thought he was an idiot, at least, to whatever extent JARVIS was capable of having opinions. At least he was also pretty sure JARVIS thought Tony was an idiot, and Tony had invented JARVIS.

"You've been rather distracted," JARVIS said helpfully.

"Is it bad?" Bruce asked.

"It is predicted to be a life-threatening storm."

"Are we supposed to evacuate or anything?"

Bruce could have sworn that JARVIS sighed before saying, "Residents of the northeast were advised to take preparations for the storm, but mass evacuation has not been called for."

Before Bruce could ask, JARVIS said, "I believe Ms. Potts has taken care of the necessary preparations."

"Oh. Of course. Thanks, JARVIS." Bruce saved the simulation he was working on and made sure the automatic backup was working. Then he went to Tony's lab next door. Tony was wearing safety goggles, which was both adorable and disconcerting--if Tony was bothering to take any safety precautions, he was probably doing something insane.

Bruce stood carefully at the edge of the room and watched Tony work. He loved the manic fervor Tony put into his projects, so different from Bruce's careful methodology. (Bruce had learned a lesson from using himself as a test subject. Tony had only managed to encourage himself.) Finally, Tony became aware of Bruce's presence. He turned off the blowtorch and bounded over to give Bruce an enthusiastic kiss. Tony smelled like coffee and metal.

"What brings you out of your lair?" Tony asked. "Not that I'm not _delighted_ to see you, but from the sounds of your project I didn't expect you to surface for a while longer yet."

"Did you know there's a hurricane?"

"Hmm?"

"A hurricane. Here. Right now, actually."

"Now that I think about it, maybe Pepper said something about that," Tony mused.

"JARVIS said she made all the hurricane preparations."

"Like what?" Tony asked. "We're off the grid, we won't lose power. Or water, for that matter."

"I imagine extra food, that kind of thing," Bruce said.

"Booze, I hope."

"There are at least ten different fully-stocked bars in this tower even without stocking up extra," Bruce said.

Tony's eyes brightened. "Great point. Let's go make hurricanes!"

"It's..." Bruce pulled out his phone to check the time. "It's 11am."

"Eleven am in the middle of a hurricane! The perfect time to drink a hurricane."

"What's even in one of those, anyway?"

"Oh, a little bit of everything. Plus fruit juice, so it's healthy. Come on, Banner, you're a doctor."

"That's not really..." Bruce tried to say, but somehow he ended up following Tony up to the Tower's penthouse. They found all the windows had been crossed with tape. The sky was black, and rain beat against the glass.

"When did that happen?" Tony asked. "Are all the windows covered in tape? Isn't that going to leave tape goo on the glass? Was it Pepper? It must have been Pepper. Did she really think tape was stronger than the polymers those windows are made out of?"

"This is going to be really bad," Bruce said.

"Are you kidding me? This place is Hulk-proof. What's a little storm going to do?"

"I mean for other people," Bruce clarified. "Power outages, homes destroyed. Plus the environmental repercussions--"

Tony sighed. "Well, sure, I'm not saying it's going to be a barrel of laughs or anything. Which is why we need a drink!" He crossed the room to the bar and busied himself with mixing. Bruce stared out the window. In his travels, he'd seen firsthand the devastation nature could wreak. He'd wondered how effective the Other Guy would be at rescuing people from earthquakes or mudslides, but had ultimately deemed it far too risky. But he'd been able to offer medical assistance, to feel useful. Now he was standing around Stark Tower, holding a cocktail he didn't really plan on drinking.

"Try it," Tony insisted.

Bruce shrugged and took a tiny sip. "Jesus, Tony," he said.

"Too strong? You can add more juice if you want."

Bruce shook his head. He kept holding the drink but otherwise ignored it. Tony was standing next to him, but Bruce could tell that Tony was looking at him, not at the storm. After a long moment, Tony said, "Hey, not even the Hulk could stop this, all right? There's nothing we can do, so we might as well relax."

" _You_ could let people into Stark Tower as an emergency shelter."

"I--huh. I guess I could."

"I hate to interrupt, Master Stark, but Ms. Potts has already arranged for several of the lower levels to be used as emergency shelters by the city for as long as is necessary."

"I'll go ahead and assume she set up all the proper security measures? I don't want refugees in my private elevator."

"God, Tony," Bruce muttered.

Tony said, "I'm kidding. I'm like 65% kidding. But there _are_ some serious safety concerns if people can just wander around without clearance."

JARVIS said, "The elevators have been programmed not to take anyone above the fifth floor without authentication by retinal scan. The stairwells have been locked down as well, sir."

"Well, good. They had better be. Where is Pepper, anyway? She's not out in this?" Tony asked, gesturing out at the storm.

"She is in her office on the 90th floor," JARVIS said.

"Good, good," Tony said.

"Does anyone downstairs need any medical attention?" Bruce asked.

"I don't believe so, sir, but I will page you if I hear otherwise," JARVIS replied.

"Thanks," Bruce said, continuing to stare out into the storm.

"Wonder what Thor would think of this," Tony said.

"I'm sure he's seen worse," Bruce said. "I'm going to go turn on the news."

"Are you gonna watch Al Jazeera?" Tony asked.

"I was thinking maybe the Weather Channel," Bruce said. "But yes, if I wanted an international perspective on the hurricane that's currently hitting this building, I might try Al Jazeera. If I wanted to be hit in the face with clip art, I'd watch CNN." He knew it was exactly the reaction Tony wanted from him, but he couldn't help it. In some ways, for all his cynicism, Tony was just as naive as Steve.

"If you want, we could turn the lights down low and listen to NPR. I'll make shadow puppets."

"That's an... oddly appealing offer," Bruce said. "But maybe later."

Tony grinned and followed Bruce to a living room. He put his arm around Bruce and let himpick the channel without further complaint. Actually, channels--the display could accommodate several, but Bruce only turned on the Weather Channel, NY1, and Al Jazeera. For Tony's sake. The news looked grim on all three channels. Fifty were dead in Haiti, and a handful in the US. Even Tony was (briefly) stunned into silence by the destruction.

After a few minutes, though, Tony said, "Hey, cleaning up after this probably won't be as bad as after the Chitauri attacked."

"Or my... tour of Harlem," Bruce said. "But still. Look at them evacuating the hospitals. Oh, look, it says some patients were evacuated to Stark Tower."

"Makes sense," Tony said. "We're not going to lose power, no matter how much equipment they need to run. I kinda wish Pepper had told me about that in advance, but... I guess that's why I made her CEO. She's good at making decisions."

"That she is," Bruce said, leaning forward to peer at the screen. He was looking for further mentions of Stark Tower, of the Avengers--for anyone to suggest that a man who could turn into a Hulk had no place in a huge city in the middle of a devastating storm. He suspected he had SHIELD to thank for the fact that the media had never once complained about Bruce's presence in New York. He didn't really have any reason to suspect they would start now, except that Bruce didn't trust the kind of routine happiness he'd settled into. It couldn't possibly last.

Tony turned the TV off. "Enough, Bruce, stop dwelling. There's nothing else we can do to help right now. You should probably just make out with me instead."

Bruce laughed in spite of himself. "When did you become the high school quarterback in a TV movie?"

Tony pouted. "If you get pregnant I swear I'll help you take care of it."

Tony tasted like booze and pineapple juice, and Bruce had to admit it took his mind off of things for a while.

Then JARVIS interrupted to convey a request from Pepper that they meet her for lunch in their usual dining room. They complied, fearing Pepper's wrath more than the hurricane or pretty much anything else, for that matter. Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup awaited them, along with a mildly-anxious Pepper Potts.

"Have you been keeping up with the news?" she asked.

"It looks pretty bad," Bruce said. "Are you okay? You weren't out in it, were you?"

She looked at him like he was crazy. "The hurricane has been all over the news for the last week and I live and work in the same building. Why would I go out in it?"

Tony said, "It's... possible that some people get so involved with their work that they forget to check the news occasionally."

"Oh my God," Pepper said, laughing. "I can't believe you. Can you believe him, Bruce?"

"Uh... actually..." Bruce said. He cringed. He did usually pay better attention to the news, but his research had gotten so _interesting_.

"I knew I was leaving you guys in the lab for too long," Pepper sighed. "I need to find a better babysitter than JARVIS."

"JARVIS is not a babysitter," Tony said.

Pepper's lips quirked. "That's what you think."

"Anyway, what's this I hear about Stark Tower being used as an emergency shelter?" Tony asked.

"Smooth subject change," Pepper said. "I told you about it. Last week. It's possible you were drunk. But anyway, it's perfect for a shelter. After all the renovations, it's probably the strongest building in the state. And we're immune to power and water outages."

"Uh, yeah, I know," Tony said.

"And it's good PR for Stark Industries."

"You'd think hosting Avengers HQ would be enough good PR," Tony mused.

Pepper rolled her eyes over a bite of sandwich. "You know it's not," she said. "Anyway, it's--it's the right thing to do."

"I agree," Bruce said.

"Hey, hey, I do too," Tony said. "I just... was surprised. Is all."

Bruce watched Pepper take a deep breath. He could almost see her consciously decide not to engage with Tony on this.

Bruce asked Pepper, "Do you think they need medical assistance?"

"I don't think so. The hospital sent over doctors and nurses with their patients."

"Still... they're probably tired," Bruce said. "Do you think it would be a bad idea for me to go down and see if they need help?"

Pepper said, "I'm glad one of you is interested in disaster relief, once you know there's a disaster. I think it would be fine if you went down and asked. And Tony, they'd probably love to see you. You know, if you can pry yourself away from whatever you're working on."

Tony shrugged. "I mean, I'm only trying to solve the global energy crisis, I guess I can take an afternoon off."

Bruce and Tony surveyed the lower levels, which were crowded, but not chaotic. Mostly people were sitting near charging technology. Kids were playing with some of Tony's state-of-the-art video games. Tony worked the crowd, chatting with people who were awed at his celebrity. A few years ago, Bruce had known who Tony was, of course, but he'd never been particularly awed by him. If Tony had dropped by a clinic where Bruce had been working, Bruce certainly wouldn't have asked for a photo with the man. But there was something about Tony Stark that people responded to, and Bruce now knew that better than anyone.

Bruce split off from Tony, lingering near the makeshift clinic. Under normal circumstances, he was pretty sure, "It's okay, I'm a doctor," wouldn't have gotten him very far in a first-world hospital. But these weren't normal circumstances, and everyone had seen him with Tony, which somehow granted him credibility. Bruce relieved a few tired nurses and watched over some tiny NICU babies. They were so fragile, but Bruce knew they were as safe as they could be here at Stark Tower.

Hours later, Tony came to pry Bruce away. Bruce didn't kid himself into thinking he was indispensable, but he made the nurses promise to call if he can help. Tony said, "After things get sorted out, I'll have someone call you about your generator situation over there, all right?" He left before allowing for much of a response beyond sputtered gratitude.

In the elevator, Bruce said, "New generator, huh?"

"It's pathetic, what the public sector has to work with."

"Tell me about it."

"Yeah, guess you'd know about that," Tony mused. "Well! Now it's definitely an acceptable time for drinking, even in this time zone. Especially in this time zone."

Bruce sighed, but found that he couldn't say no to hot chocolate with Baileys. Warm beverages in hand, he curled up on the couch with Tony and Pepper in front of a _very_ nice fake fireplace. Tony had an arm around Bruce, and Pepper had her head in Tony's lap. He couldn't even hear the storm.


End file.
